Shadows' End (Dark Days - Bright Nights)
by TheBayMan
Summary: My friends were supposed to protect me, not watch me die! After Lucy's death, a new dark guild arises... A guild born from necessity and made legal by the Magic Council. It's sole purpose... To hunt down other dark guilds and bring an end to tyranny, and Lucy is on the top of their recruitment list!... They are... Shadows' End! (Renamed) (On Hiatus)
1. Chapter 1

**Well I'm like everyone else I'm starting something new, even though I have a few stories not finished. Actually one story is on hold till I can come up with a new ending. My cross-over story is half done, only two chapters left and my other story well, time will tell how far it goes... So doing another story shouldn't be a problem.**

**I hope you all like it. It may seem depressing at first but it will get better as time goes by... Well maybe. LOL Please give it a chance and please review it. It'll give me some incentive to continue it.**

_**Disclaimer... I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

_**Dark Days - Bright Nights**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

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><p><strong>Lucy's POV<strong>

As I stood in front of the guild doors I sighed at the thought of entering. Dread flowed over me and I knew it would be another day of being ignored or worse...

It's been nearly a year since the Grand Magic Games and since then I've been shunned and at time physically abused and it all started with my losses at the Grand Magic Games. To think a few losses would over time snowball into what it is now... A total lack of respect and comradery. I'm now on the outside looking in and it feels like my life is crashing down around me. 'How much more I can take, I don't know!?' I thought as I looked up at the big foreboding doors and sighed.

You know it's not like this happened over night... It was just a few whispers at first and over time it slowly grew into cruel remarks. I could handle those, after all I survived my father's abuse after my Mother died, but it escalated into a fight the last time I was here and my friends finally kicked me out off Team Natsu, replacing me with Lisanna. So I quickly grabbed several missions and ran out... That was a month ago and since then I've been away doing a series of solo missions. I guess I just wanted to distance myself from all of my pain and loneliness.

Out of the three job requests I grabbed before I ran out of the guild, I only completed one. It was to rescue a farmer's daughter from kidnappers. It was fairly easy and it helped to boost my confidence. The second job was to take out a dark guild that had been terrorizing a local village. So I put that one aside, especially when I noticed that it had Team Natsu written up on the corner. I guess in my rush to leave I never noticed what I had taken... It was a job that they had obviously reserved. I felt a sense of dread when I realized my mistake.

The last job I took seemed to be a lot easier. Capture a small group of bandits that were robbing people as they entered a nearby town. I planned out everything down to the finest detail and I laid in wait for them... When they finally showed up I called out Taurus and Loki and we made quick work of the bandits. But of course nothing ever goes my way, those bandits I captured turned out to be a decoy and four cloaked men laid in wait. Apparently they had a grudge against Fairy Tail and I was about to feel their wrath. I spent the last two weeks in a nearby Hospital fighting for my life.

Right now I have no magic left. After that incident, I have several broken ribs and a punctured lung that is nearly healed. I also have a broken arm and nearly a dozen stab wounds. If it wasn't for one of the men that I'd captured earlier, I'd be dead now. He took pity on me and dropped me off in front of the Hospital. So I'm hoping Wendy will help heal my remaining wounds.

Speaking of Wendy, I still have some friends left in Fairy tail and it amazes me that the people I now call friend are those that at one time I never felt any real connection with. I suppose things change as well as people. Besides Master, who always treats me with love and respect... My new friends are the most unlikely group. They are those that at one time or another had hurt or threatened me... Laxus, Gajeel and Juvia. To think former enemy's are my new friends and my former friends now feel like enemy's. It's a mixed up world and I'm center stage.

With my bag on my shoulder, I took a deep breath, slowly released it and pushed the door open with my good arm. As the door swung open I could see that it was the normal Fairy Tail that awaited me. Which made me feel a little more at ease. Natsu, Gray and Elfman were fighting, Cana was drinking and Erza was eating her usual desert as Lisanna was at the bar laughing with Mira. I looked around for familiar faces and saw none, nor did I see Wendy. I sighed and walked in.

"Good afternoon everyone!" I said in my most friendly voice.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and I could immediately feel their stares on me. My earlier feeling of relief quickly changed to remorse as I realized I was now the guild's main attraction. As I walked towards the bar I hung my head in shame and fear, and out of the corner of my eye I could see a very pissed Natsu making his way towards me... I knew this was gonna be bad.

"M-Mira! Is M-M-Master a-around?" I nervously said as I could feel my whole body shake. My nerves were starting to get the better of me as Mira gave me a look of disgust and then ignored me.

"M-Mira-saaaaa!" I tried to say as I felt my bag being ripped from my shoulder, which caused me to spin around. I lost my balance and fell to the floor. As I looked up I saw a furious Natsu dumping the contents of my bag on to the floor. He searched through my stuff until he found what he was looking for... The job requests.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Natsu leaned down and yelled. The whole guild went quiet... Their focus now on me and my response.

"I-I'm s-s-sorr-ry, I-I t-too-ok it b-by mis-stake!" I nervously said as I started to feel my stomach turn.

"You took a job that we had reserved!" Natsu said as he growled at me. He then thumbed through the job requests and his expression changed to that of someone possessed. "You have three requests and you only completed one! You're useless!" He said as he threw the requests at me.

"Let me see that?" Erza said as she leaned down and picked them up, read them and laughed. She then handed them to Gray and Lisanna, who both laughed.

"You couldn't even beat a small group of bandits!?" Lisanna laughed. "Pathetic!"

"And what in the hell is this!... A broken arm! They beat you up! Lucy I'm disappointed! We knew you were weak but not this weak!" Gray said as he put his foot up to my face and knocked me down.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves, "I-I beat the bandits!... B-B-But it was a setup..." I said as Erza picked me up by the shirt and sneered at me. The next thing I knew I was flying through the air. I felt as light as a feather until my body quickly came to a bone crushing stop as I went full force into the wall by the front door. As I fell to the floor, I noticed the large crater left in the wall and I knew this was bad.

I screamed in pain as I knew I had just opened up all my earlier wounds, besides some new ones that I'm sure I now had. Blood was starting to colour my bandages, the pain was so intense I felt my stomach roll, I threw up and then I fell face first into it. Which caused everyone in the guild to burst out laughing. As the tears started rolling down my cheeks, I could feel a sharp pain in my chest as I tried to breathe and I instantly knew I had ruptured my lung again. I looked around for help and saw none, only everyone laughing at me... No friends! No Wendy! And No Master!

I tried to scream for help but my chest hurt too much. I was now gasping for air and no words would leave my lips. I stared at them and I held out my hand, begging for help but got none, only incessant laughter!... Just laughter! It echoed through my head and pounded on my nerves. That hurt as much as the pain I was in.

I looked to my side and saw the door and I tried to stand, but couldn't. I reached up and grabbed the handle of the open door and tried to pull myself up, but again I couldn't find the strength and fell back to the floor. I looked back one more time and saw smiling faces and at that moment I realized... I had no friends here anymore... Just...

With every breath I took, I could feel myself getting weaker and my now open wounds were bleeding heavily. I could feel it trickling down my chest and stomach and drip to the floor. I turned onto my stomach and slowly inched my way out the guild doors. With every move I made I could feel my head become lighter. I thought for a moment I heard someone say...

"Should we help her?" and someone else, a female voice say...

"She's a fairy Tail mage she needs to show us her resolve!" and another say...

"She doesn't look so good..." That was the last thing I heard as I slowly pulled myself out the door and onto the street. I felt so light-headed and tired and the thought crossed my mind that this was it. I'm going to die alone here on the street. As I finally fell face first into the ground, I knew this was it. I was gasping for air now and I felt like I was drowning as blood was flowing out of my mouth and staining the street.

I started to feel cold and slowly the warmth of the sun was replaced with darkness... At that moment I knew this was the end. There would be no second chances... I'm dying here!... Alone!... Darkness everywhere!

_'Momma!' I thought as everything went black..._

**Makarov's POV**

Wendy, Carla and I were returning from Porlyusica's place. We had been there for a few days as she wanted to show Wendy some new techniques. It went very well, Wendy learned a lot, but I know she gets a little nervous around Porlyusica so I kept her company... Besides I gave me a chance to get away from my paperwork and my worries. Especially about Lucy, who hasn't seemed very happy lately. 'I have to help her someway!' I sighed.

"Thank's Master for going with me to see Porlyusica!" Wendy happily said as we walked around the corner and saw Fairy Tail up ahead of us.

"Well we're home child!" I said with a smile, which quickly turned to dread as I could make out a figure lying in front of the guild doors.

"Master! Someone's sleeping in front of our guil..." Wendy said as I knew that something was wrong and I started running. The closer I got the more my heart sank, I could feel my eyes tearing up as I got closer to the scene in front of me. As I got to where I could make out who it was, I stopped and stared. It was... It was...

"LUCY!" Wendy screamed as ran to her side and dropped to her knees.

I quickly followed her. I knew this was bad, I didn't want to believe what was staring me in the face but there it was!... The once happy, smiling angel was now lying face down in a pool of her own blood. She was cold! 'How long had she been here? Why hadn't anyone noticed her? Where is everyone? Who could have done this?' I thought as my mind was going into overdrive. My senses were becoming dull and all I feel was a tremendous sense of loss. My tears that were falling earlier gave way to a sheer feeling of sadness that I couldn't hold back any longer... I cried for my dear sweet child, someone with such a kind spirit who would never hurt anyone.

"Who could do such a thing?" I said as I slowly picked Lucy up and held her lifeless body close to my chest. Wendy just sat there crying her eyes out as Carla tried to comfort her, but it was no use... She was to distraught. I turned towards the guild and saw a scene that will forever be etched into my very soul... A trail of blood leading from my guilds door and the remnants of what looked like someone had dragged themselves out.

My heart sank as I realized Lucy was inside and no one helped her when she needed them the most. We failed her, we are to blame for this! This was fairy Tails doing. "I'm so sorry child!" I said as I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry!"

As I slowly followed the trail of blood into the guild I saw a happy group of mages fighting drinking as if everything was alright with the world... As if nothing had happened. It was at that moment... That very moment that, I was absolutely disgusted with each and every one of them. I laid Lucy down on a table by the door and I started to grow and drove my fist through the guild floor frightening everyone inside. You could hear a pin drop.

"Gramps! What's wrong!" Natsu said as he pulled himself back up, as did everyone else who were knocked to the floor.

"SHUT UP!" I roared as I tried to calm myself while wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Mast..." Some one said, but I growled and cut them of.

"Warren! Contact Gildarts, Laxus and his team, Gajeel and Juvia. Tell them to come back now. Tell them to drop what they are doing and return immediately. Oh and contact the Magic Council and have them send someone over here! NOW!" I growled.

"What should I tell them?" Warren said.

"NOTHING! Just do as your told!" I roared.

"What's wrong Master? Did something happen to you?" Erza said with a scared but curious look on her face.

"Master where's Wendy?" Someone yelled.

"For the love of Mavis... Please tell me Wendy's alright!" Erza yelled as everyone became quite agitated.

"Mira! Go outside and get Wendy. Help her inside!" I said as I could feel my head pound and my heart race. Mira quickly ran pass me and returned a few moments later. She stopped by my side, holding a barely conscious Wendy, who by this point was in a state of shock.

"Master what happened to Wendy!" Mira roared as she looked up at me. I looked down growled at her, causing her to back up a few steps.

A moment later I heard a large crash behind me. I turned around to see Wendy and Carla lying on the floor and Mira shaking as she stared at the lifeless body of Lucy who was draped over the table behind me.

"LLLLUUUCCCCCYYYYYYYY!" She screamed as she grabbed her hand and Mira jumped back when she realized that Lucy was cold and lifeless. She placed her hands over her face and started to cry as she kept pushing herself back until she hit the wall. She then curled into a ball and cried like a baby.

At this point everyone was screaming at once, trying to find out what had hurt the take over mage so much that she would scream with such pain. I sighed and shrunk back to my normal size and fell to the floor, revealing my poor child lying on the table behind me.

It took a few moments for it to register with everyone, but it slowly sank in... Their friend, their Nakama was dead... Lucy was dead! And they sat by and watched it happen!

_That was Fairy Tails Darkest Day!_

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><p><strong>The plan on this story is a new guild with many familiar faces and some not so familiar ones. That's all I'll say at the moment. I may need some help with some new characters.<strong>

**Okay everyone I need you to let me know if you want this story to continue. Please review it.  
><strong>

**Thank you... Until next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so thankful for all of your kind reviews. You know, I was very surprised by the amount of interest this story got with only 60 views yesterday. I posted it later than I normally post and to see the interest... Well it blew my mind, so I bow to you and say thank you.**

**And a big thank you for following and favoring my story. It really does mean a lot.**

**This new guild will have some very familiar faces in it. If there is someone you wish to see join... Well let me know perhaps they may fit into my story. Mind you I can't have all of the best here so be a little kind with your suggestions. Leave Shadow's End someone to fight. LOL**

**BTW, Things will pick up next chapter as we get to meet the new guild... So I hope you stay with me until then. Well here we go...**

_**Disclaimer... I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Two Month's Later...<strong>_

**Laxus's POV**

_Dear Gramps:_

It's been two months since we lost Lucy and many things have changed with Fairy Tail. As you know we lost one of our brightest stars, a kind and gentle soul... We lost Lucy!

I remember that day as if it was just yesterday. My team returned after being summoned by Warren. There was no mention of why we needed to return but we had to return immediately. I remember walking into town and running into Gajeel and Juvia who were also called back. Apparently they were on a mission for you. It was weird that we were all summoned back and what was weirder was just as we got near the guild, Gildarts appeared out of no where. What ever we were summoned back for, it was important... Very important!

We all discussed the possibilities of why we were summoned and many theories were formed but they all paled when we found out the true nature of our untimely return... When we neared the guild there were Rune Knights everywhere. The level of security was ridiculous, we were scrutinized and questioned before we were released and allowed to enter.

What caught my attention during the whole ordeal was the smell... It was overpowering... It was the smell of blood and it was recent. Maybe two to three days old. I followed the scent and it lead me to a stain on the street. And the smell, seemed so familiar...

"Do you smell that Laxus?" Gajeel said as he continued to smell the air.

"Yes! It's really familia..." I said as I realized whose blood it was.

"Bunny Girl!" Gajeel shouted at the same time I shouted.

"Blondie!" We all ran frantically into the guild and were immediately stopped by the Rune Knights who had the place under lock and key.

That's how I found out that Blondie had died. I still don't know how we all got through the next few days, but somehow we persevered. I pretty well had to step in for you. I know the loss hit you the hardest, because you was so fond of Lucy and you cried yourself to sleep for days. Even at the funeral you were the most affected. I remember having to help you home after, as you didn't want to leave her side. I know you blamed yourself for her death, but we both know that's not true and Lucy would be disappointed if she knew you felt that way.

I later found out that Lucy had taken a job in a nearby town that required her to capture some bandits. She captured them, but it seems after the Rune Knights question one of the bandits, the one who bought Lucy to the Hospital, they were nothing but a decoy for an ambush against Fairy Tail. Someone was hunting Fairies and poor Lucy was caught in their cross-hairs. Apparently she put up a good fight and managed to take out one mages but the other three overwhelmed her.

They had stabbed her three times in the chest, once in the arm, breaking it and seven times in the stomach. She also had two broken ribs and yet she still tried to fight back. The bandit said he couldn't believe what he saw, no one could continue there, but she did and that's why he decided to help her when she passed out. Her determination saved her life that day. He dropped her at the hospital and thanks to his quick thinking she managed to pull through. The Hospital released her two weeks later because she wouldn't stay put. When she said her guild had a healer the Hospital staff put her on a train bound for Magnolia.

When she got here, instead of being helped she was bullied and then thrown against a wall by that stupid woman. I know she's devastated over what happened, but she still hurt an innocent girl. Her actions lead to Lucy's death and that was why the Rune Knights were investigating Lucy's death.

The day before Lucy's funeral, they released Erza on the grounds, her injuries were caused by her prior attack and not by Erza's actions. Even though Erza was cleared, she still blames herself for Lucy's death and truth be told she is responsible. Lucy would have survived if Erza had not thrown an injured person against the wall. Perhaps she didn't know that Lucy was injured, although the cast should have given it away... And that damned Dragon Slayer should have known right way. Someday I will make them all pay and they will learn a lesson from this... And the time is now, as I'm the new Guild Master.

You retired seven weeks ago and handed over the guild to me. I know you went off to 'clear your mind' as you put it. But why did you take Juvia, Gajeel and Lily with you, was it for security. Anyway, It was a sad day when I removed your guild marks and we all said goodbye to you. It was a bad week... First we lose Lucy and then we lose four more friends. But with anything in life, we move forward... That's all we can do! You taught me that! I'm sure that's what Lucy would have wanted as well.

I did make one thing clear when I took over and that is, we do not fight amongst ourselves anymore. The term 'Nakama' will mean something from here on out, that's what you and First wanted. It's fine to play around but the moment you let anger cloud your judgment bad things happen. That's something I learned when I tried to take over Fairy Tail... Anger clouds your judgement!

I guess you're wondering about Team Natsu... Well! they are banned from fighting and missions for six months and all four of them have been assigned to keeping Lucy's grave manicured. That should give them time to deal with their loss and hopefully they will reflect on their actions from that faithful day and learn something about that word Nakama. A word that they always use so freely, a word that means nothing if you don't understand it's value... Perhaps some day they will understand, but until then they will have to learn to live with their actions and hopefully become better mages in the process.

As for the four mages that attacked Lucy, well, we still know very little about them. The Magic Council has the one that Lucy took down but he refuses to talk and all attempts to gain information from him has failed. Even the use of magic has been unsuccessful. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed, that something will come out of it.

Everyone here is slowly getting back into their normal routine. It's difficult at times, but we're Fairy Tail and we will prevail!

Gramps! I hope you come back soon! I know I never said it before... But thank you for everything you've done for me throughout my life. You're the only real family I have and I do miss you.

_You're Grandson_

_Laxus_

"Geez! I think Lucy is rubbing off on me. That wasn't a letter, it was a book!" I laughed as I folded up the letter and placed it in an envelope, walking out of my office. 'But it felt good, getting that of my chest!' I thought as I looked around a quiet guild... I sighed just a little.

"Mira! Could you post this for me!" I said with a smile.

"Sure! Another letter to your Grandfather?" She said as I tossed her the letter.

"Ya! I hope he gets this one!" I said as I sighed and started to walk back into my office.

"Don't worry Master, I'm sure he's fine! You'll hear from him soon! I'm sure of it!" Mira said as I walked into my office and shut the door.

"Stay safe Old Man!" I mumbled as I got back to my paperwork.

_**Later that night...**_

**AN POV**

"Well!... Why have you stopped digging?" Said the dark figure as he growled at the two men before him. His male form, obvious from his large muscular frame, which was hidden beneath a long black cloak that dragged on the ground as he moved. His face was cast in shadow as his hood fell over his forehead, only his white teeth and blood-red eyes were visible to those around him... He was a sight that would send chills down your spine.

"But sir!... We really should not be disturbing the dead. They deserve better than this!" Shrugged a nervous old man standing in a hole up to his waist. His weather worn face covered in dirt as he leaned on a shovel for support.

"I'm not paying you to question me!... I'm paying you to dig a hole. Now, either you finish the job I'm paying you for or dig another hole for yourselves! NOW CHOOSE!?" The cloaked figure roared as both men quickly returned to digging their hole.

"How did I get roped into this?" Mumbled a young red-headed man, as he dug just feet from his old companion.

"Shut up and dig!" Whispered the old man.

The cloaked figure looked up to the sky and grinned... "It's a wonderful night, the moon is full and very soon I will have what I came for!"

Thirty minutes later the old man's shovel made a loud 'thump' as it hit something wooden. He knelled down and quickly brushed away the last of the dirt to expose a dark wooden coffin that appeared to be intact... It still had its original sheen, as if it had only recently been placed there... When in fact it had been resting there for two months, undisturbed and affectionately tended to by it's loving owners. This grave site belonged to someone loved and revered, as it was manicured and clean, but tomorrow loved ones would cry at the site before them.

A moment later the cloaked figure laughed and rubbed his hands together in an excited fashion. "Finally!" He smirked.

"QUICKLY! Pull it out!" Yelled the cloaked figure as both men wrestled the coffin from its resting place and laid it at his feet. "So you two weren't totally useless after all!" He smirked as he knelled down by the coffin and placed his hands on it... "Not long now old friend!... Soon we will begin!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" His laughter roared through the moon lite cemetery as he turned to the two exhausted men and pointed towards the large cart behind them. "Load it!... QUICKLY!" He ordered as both men moved as if their lives depended on it... Little did they know... It did!

As they finished loading the coffin aboard the cart, they both returned to the cloaked figure and politely asked for their payment. He grinned and reached inside his cloak and produced two small satchels containing their payment.

"You eared it!" He laughed as he tossed two satchels into the grave and turned towards the cart. Both men quickly jumped into the grave and grabbed their reward. As they started to climb out the mage smiled and extended his arm in front of himself and a dark black object took form in his hand. "Granite Dagger!" He said as two rock shards instantly pierced each mans forehead sending them both falling back into the grave... Death was instant!

He looked at the two dead men and grinned and then turned his attention to the headstone before him... "Granite Dagger!" He laughed as he shattered the headstone. The cloaked figure then rubbed his two hands together and a magic circle appeared in front of his hands. The magic circle grew in size and slowly moved out over the open grave. Once it was large enough to cover both grave and the headstone, he chanted... I offer up these two souls... The magic circle grew in intensity as he shouted, "SOUL EXCHANGE!"

The casket glowed a bright red color as did the contents of the grave. When it subsided the grave was empty... Gone were the two men and their satchels... Only dirt remained!

The cloaked figure smiled and started to push the cart towards the shadow of a large oak tree. As he neared the shadow his cloak shimmered slightly at first, but then quickly gained in its intensity, spreading out from him and enveloping the cart. Then as a cloud passed in front of the Moon he pushed the cart into the shadow of the oak tree and they slowly disappeared.

All that was left was a large oak tree and it's shadow growing dim as the Moon's light faded... Over at the now decimated grave stood a lonely hole framed by what once was a marker, indicating that someone's loved one once rested there. Although destroyed, a part of the headstone still remained in tact...

_It read... "Beloved by all... Our Friend and Nakama... Rest in Peace." Above that were three lonely letters, "LUC!" The rest destroyed._

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><p><strong>Okay so that's chapter two... How was it? Did you like it? I know the last part seems a little morbid but I'll explain that next chapter. Cool! Have fate it gets better...<br>**

**I'll try to do a few chapters every week with this story. They'll be a little shorter than my normal chapter size, so hopefully I can get two or more a week done. Also I have so many ideas for this one, I must admit I'm a little overwhelmed.**

**Also... I was hoping I could get your help... I need a couple of Original Characters that aren't in the Fairy Tail universe for Shadow's End, the new guild. I need a Name, Hair and Eye color, Clothes they wear, their Age, their Powers and I need a description of their personality. But there is a catch, I need two versions of their personality, a good version and a bad version. I hope someone can help. I'll give you credit if I use them. Any that I don't use I'll find a dark guild for them later. So I won't disregard your efforts... So please help me out!**

**I was so touched by the response to the first chapter, I decided to write the next chapter right away, so please keep reviewing, it's very motivating.  
><strong>

**Thank you... Until next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**LOL... I couldn't even get**** three chapters done before I fell back into my habit of large chapters. I tried so hard to keep them under 3000 words and I'm over already. Bad me! LOL**

**Anyway thank you all for your support. The reviews made my day and I thank you all for your kind words. I also want to thank those who sent me your character ideas. What a great job you all did... Give yourselves a pat on the back. Over the next few chapters Shadows' End will grow so if you have any ideas please let me know. If I don't respond right away, it's because I'm probably working on this story or my other one, like I have been for the past few days. So forgive me if I haven't responded to your suggestions yet... I assure you I will.**

**Also a big thank you to those of you who have favored and are following my story. I know I posted the last two chapters at odd times and had very few views... around 300 I think between the two chapters... so to receive such nice reviews and so many favs and follows... Well it really makes me feel good. Thank you for your support.  
><strong>

**I want to say a big thank you to anime-fan72 for allowing me to use a character she created. Lia will fit in nicely I hope. LOL Shadows' End will have little bit of a Gothic feel and I get that vibe from her.**

**Anyway on with the chapter...**

_**Disclaimer... I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Somewhere in the Shadows...<strong>_

**Master's POV**

As I pushed the cart trough the shadow of the big oak tree, my mind wandered to my friend lying before me and I thought would she understand what I had done or would she hate me for it. I know it's for the best, but would she understand the lengths an old fool would go through for a friend. 'Well I guess we'll see soon enough,' I thought.

Once I breached the shadow a large stone archway appeared before me and I felt a familiar chill creep up my spine. This part of the trip always got the better of me and I stopped for a moment. As I looked around the only thing I could see was the large stone archway with a black haze filling its center and the path on which I stood... Other than that... Nothing! Absolute blackness! A void if you will! I often wondered what would happen if I stepped off the path, perhaps just one step, just to see. I paused, as I strained to see what lurked beyond the darkness. A smile crept across my face and I leaned forward, then common sense got the better of me and I ignored my stupid impulse. "Perhaps senility is creeping up on me!" I laughed.

I slowly pushed the cart though the arch and finally emerged on the other side. It usually takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light, for when my focus to became clear. I could see I was home... My new home... Shadow's End. 'hahaha!' I laughed to myself, 'Shadow's End!... Yup the name fits this place quite nicely!' I thought.

I lowered the cart's handles and started walking down the long torch lite corridor. As I walked towards the end of the hall, the flames danced as they cast eerie shadows upon the walls... This place really did give me the creeps. It had the feel of an old castle, well!... That's probably because it is an old castle and a very large one at that. It's owner is a little peculiar, but that's the price we pay for our new home. 'Deal with the idiot Vermin! That's part of the price we pay,' I sighed and then realized he was running up to me.

"Master! You're back!" Vermin said as I face palmed at his talent for stating the obvious..

"I thought that was obvious! Vermin!" I snickered.

"IT"S VIRGIL!... NOT VERMIN!" He said as he walked into the wall and disappeared, which caused me to rub my head and sigh.

"Again!... Are we gonna play this game again!" I shook my head in disbelief then turned towards the wall. Sensing his location, I rammed my fist through the wall and pulled Vermin back through it... His body ripped though the wall, while stone and debris flew everywhere.

"AHHHHH! That felt SO good!... Do it again Master!" Moaned a seductive voice.

'Why am I here again?' I thought as I remembered the reason I was here... "This place is a nut house!" I laughed, this place although a bit strange does feel like home.

"I'm not a NUT!... I'm just friendly!" Laughed a voice that seemed to come from all around us.

"Master you're really getting good with that cloak! That's the fastest time yet!" Virgil smiled as I released him and the wall started to repair itself. A moment later, it was as if nothing had happened.

"Mina!... I'll never get used to that! Please wait till I leave the room to repair yourself... It's creepy!" I said as I started walking down the hall with Vermin following closely behind, pushing the cart.

"Of Course you will sweety!" Mina laughed. It's just strange that a castle could have a life and personality all its own.

"Virgil! Someday you're gonna have to explain all of this to me!" I stopped, turned and spoke. "Oh! Where are the others?"

"I believe everyone is still out!" Virgil said with a lite laugh.

"No! Jura just got back with 'HIM' and I sent Gajeel, Lilly and Juvia out to bring back our first recruit from Mermaid heel," Mina said.

"Thank you Mina! Where's Jura?"

"Well sweety! He's waiting for you and Virgil in Lab One. I think he has everything prepared and he's just waiting on you!" Mira said.

"Thank you and tell him we'll be there in a moment!" I said as I headed for Lab One.

"Will do sweety!"

"AND STOP CALLING ME SWEETY!" I yelled.

Mina laughed and yelled back, "OKAY DEAR!" I lowered my head and sighed. 'This really is a nut house!'

"Okay Mina! That's enough! I need to know who or what you are?" I roared and it went deathly quiet except for my voice which echoes through the halls.

"I'm sorry sweety, I can't tell you that?

"I'm the Master here! If you don't tell me, I'll tear this place apart stone by stone. DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?" I growled as I felt my blood boil and my rage begin to burn. "TELL ME NOW!?"

"GEEZ! FINE!" The voice yelled but no echo was heard, which I thought to be rather odd.

"Well! I'm waiting!"

"Okay! Okay! Geez!" Mina sighed and for a moment I thought I saw the walls move in and out as she sighed.

"Well! You already know Virgil is from another dimension!" Mina paused and I nodded, as I was aware of that. "I'm from the same dimension... We're from a place called Earth!... We're Vampires! Well! I used to be a vampire, but the one who sired me is no more. With vampires our immortality is limited to the lifespan of our master. When mine died I was here in this castle, any more than that I don't really remember," Mina said.

"Then why didn't Virgil die?" I said as I turned to see Virgil smile.

"Ah! That's easy! Mina and I were sired by two different vampire..." Virgil proudly said as Mina interrupted him.

"Mistress!" She sighed again. I could hear a longing in her voice as if she was recalling a loved one.

"So who is this mistress you mentioned?"

"Well! She is the one that created this castle, perhaps she even created this world we're in now! At the time I never thought to ask her!" Mina said in a soft voice.

"That's the odd part about the story that we can't figure out. She was a vampire as well... At least we thought she was. We're pretty sure Dracula turned her and she in turn sired me..." Virgil said as he seemed to be trying to recall something.

"What is it Virgil?" I asked as my curiosity had now piqued.

"It's really weird, because Mina and her were friends and from what I remember... Dracula turned Lucy first. Sheeeee!" Virgil spoke and my mind quickly went to my old friend. 'Coincidence I'm sure,' I smiled as I recalled my old friend.

"Something wrong sweety!?" Mina asked.

"No! Nothing at all, just remembering an old friend! Please continue!" I said as I tried to refocus on the story unfolding around me.

"Well! Lucy was hunted down one night by several vampire hunters, so she couldn't return to her home. She went to her second home and they caught up with her there. They destroyed her... They put a wooden stake through her heart and cut off her head. They then chained her in her coffin and buried her. A few days later the vampire hunters caught up with and destroyed Dracula. I ended up here, forever tied to this castle!" Mina laughed. "I guess I'm cursed... I really don't understand it!"

"Here's the weird part of the story Master! After Lucy and Dracula were destroyed, I should have turned to ash., but I'm still here! I spent the next two years trying to find out why I'm still alive and I found nothing. I should not exist now! This is why I don't hunt people anymore... I figured I was given a second chance and I should use it wisely," Virgil smiled.

"Anyway! I don't know why I did it but one night about three years after Lucy died, I dug up her grave. I had to know why I'm still here. That's when I saw the unthinkable... Her coffin was filled with dirt and part of the lid was ripped apart. She must have clawed her way out. I was there when she died... I remember cowering behind a headstone... I'm a coward, I know! I watched my Mistress die and never helped. I searched for years and never found her and then I finally gave up and came here. That's how we came to be in this place. Eventually I made my way to your world and the rest is history. All of which you already know!" Virgil said with a goofy grin that made me think of another familiar face and I smiled.

"Interesting story! So this place doesn't belong to either of you! No wonder you were so willing to allow the Magic Council to use it... You're hoping with more people here, you may find your friend. Is that why you're helping us?" I said as we neared Lab One.

"YES!" They both said in unison.

"Perhaps we can help each other out!" I mumbled stopping in front of Lab One. I looked around and walked in.

To say it was a normal lab, would be foolish. It never had a Hospital type feel, more like something you would see in an old horror movie. It was a large room that had a flight of stairs at the back that went up to a second floor. In the center of the room was a large table filled with various beakers and test tubes. Some had liquids, others had smoke in them and then there was the incessant 'Drip' 'Drip' 'Drip' that always drove me nuts. 'Someday I'm gonna turn that screw off!' I grinned as I stared at the drip..

The stone walls were lined with various torture devices, at least that's what they looked like. Perhaps they really were torture devices. I never came to this lab often enough, to find out. Back against the wall stood two lab tables on either side of the staircase and to the side of one of the beds looked like a large upright cylinder. It appeared to be some sort of stasis chamber. 'Ah! That must be him!' I smirked when I saw it. 'Paybacks a bitch!' I laughed out loud, which caught Jura's attention.

"You've finally made it Master! And I see you have what you went out for... I trust everything went well!" Jura said as he crossed his arms and smiled.

"Yes! Everything went according to plan! I see the Council sent 'Him' over."

"Yes! But the Council said he may be a bit rough-looking, considering they fished him out of the ocean after the Tenrou Island incident. Oh! And they sent enough of the elixir for two doses. They also said not to mess it up, because it'll take them another year to create more!" Jura said as he looked at me with a puzzled look and then he smiled. "Master! You can take the cloak of now!"

"AHHHH! I forgot! That's their fault for distracting me!" I laughed and slid my cloak off and hung it on the coat rake near the door. "That's better!" I said as I started to shrink down to my normal size.

"Makarov! SORRY! I mean Master!" Jura said as he tried to make up for his mistake.

"That's fine Jura! Let's get this started! Virgil, Jura would you put the coffin over by that table at the back and I'll get 'Him' ready," I said and they both nodded. A few minutes later I had 'Him' up on the other table and strapped him to it." I looked over and they had the lid of the coffin open...

"Master! Come over here! There's something wrong here!... I thought you said she was a blonde?" Virgil said as he scratched his head as if he was trying to figure something out. "There's something... I just don't know, but there's something strange going on here!"

I walked over and looked into the coffin and was shocked at what I saw. She had brown hair!... "Did she dye her hair!" I said and then I thought that makes no sense.

"Master look at this!" Jura said as he pulled back the bandages that covered her stomach. "Where are her wounds?"

"That's not possible! I saw them with my own eyes!" I said as I reached up and brushed her hair out of her eyes and lifted an eyelid. "Blue eyes!" I said as I slipped off the stool I was standing on and fell flat on my ass. "Quick! Get her up on the table!"

"What's wrong sweety!" Mina asked.

"Not now Mina! Jura get the viles... Virgil get ready, we're doing this now! We'll start with 'Him'!" I said as I stood up and walked over to the other table.

"Are you sure about 'Him,' after all he tried to kill all of you!" Jura curiously said as he pulled out a vile from a silver briefcase. The vile contained a blue liquid and it almost appeared to be bubbling.

"Yes I'm sure! We may need him down the road. There is good in him, somewhere... We just have to find it," I said as I helped Jura place Lucy on the table. "Virgil! Can you explain all of this again before we begin?"

"I thought you were in a hurry?" He said as I crossed my arms and glared at him. He stepped back and sighed. "Very well! I've been running experiments on different mages for the Council in exchange for my daily blood supply. We took a small amount of magic from more than a hundred mages. That magical essence was reduced down to the two blue viles that Master Jura is holding. We don't know what effect it will have on them... But I'm sure it will replace my blood through the procedure. That way they will have free will and their lives won't be linked to mine."

"That's a good idea!" Mina said as we all nodded.

"Normally when a Vampire turns someone they are alive, but these two are already dead. So we needed to take an extra step, we needed to return their souls to them first and that's why you both performed that ritual earlier. If we didn't do that we would end up with a mindless zombie that no one would be able to control," Virgil said as he took one of the viles and walked over to 'HIM'.

"Makes sense!" Jura nodded.

"This process normally takes a few days. I'll bite them and drain them off their blood, at the same time I will pass along a small amount of my essence or power if you will. The last step is to feed them my blood and then when they awaken they will be my servants, but we will substitute the serum for this step. If it works, they will wake up in about two days with all the powers of a vampire and none of my weaknesses. I've been working on this new method for a few years and I think it will work. What other powers they gain from the serum is up to fate. They may also change a little in appearance but that's about it," Virgil smiled as he seemed to be quite proud of himself.

"Okay! Go ahead and do it!" I said as Virgil nodded and bit 'HIM'. A few moments later he looked up and smiled as he licked his lips as a small drop of blood ran down his chin. He opened 'HIS' mouth and poured the serum in and then massaged 'HIS' throat. He smiled and moved on to Lucy to repeat the process. Everything went as planned until it happened. While Virgil was draining Lucy, he started to glow lightly at first, but over the next few moments the glow intensified to a blinding white glow and I had to cover my eyes. I heard Virgil scream and then there was a loud crash. The glow faded and after a few moments I could see Virgil lying on the floor. Unable to speak he held up the vile and motioned to me to administer it. Which I promptly did.

Jura reached down and pulled up Virgil who was slowly coming back to his senses. He looked at me and smiled.

"Well! What happened?" I roared, yet he still just smiled. Although this time he gave me a thumbs up sign and a sigh of relief escaped my mouth. "Is she alright?" He nodded yes.

As if by cue an alarm went off...

"Great timing! What is it Mina!"

"The archway has been activated... They're back sweety!" Mina laughed.

"Mina! Show me!" I said as a large image appeared on the wall, showing the archway outside the main entrance and several cloaked figures walking through it. They all paused for a moment, removed their cloaks and hung them near the arch, they then turned and walked towards the main gates. I could see it was Gajeel, Lily and Juvia and they had her with them. 'Well done!' I thought.

I smiled and a moment later my smile disappeared as I saw a white-haired girl walking behind them. The first thing that came to my mind was Mira. She had the same allure as our favorite take over mage, but I could tell it wasn't Mira and then all sorts of thoughts ran through my head... 'Who was this? Are my Children in danger? How did she get in here?'

"MINA! Open a path to the main hall! Be prepared to detain our uninvited guest!" I yelled and started to run towards the wall.

"Yes sweety!" She said as the wall in front of me shook and slowly started to move.

"Thank you Mina!" I yelled back as I ran though the new doorway. "Jura keep an eye on things!"

I ran faster, walls moved and stairs appeared and then disappeared until I was standing in the main guild hall. As I heard the latch on the door click I grew in size until my head was just inches from the rafters...

_"Who in the hell is that girl and how dear she come here uninvited? Dammed Brats can't get anything right!"_

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, because I know I enjoyed writing it. I wanted to write something that was a little darker, but it will still have a lot of light and fun moments as well... Plus there will be some romance as well. So stick with it... it gets better, with surprises along the way.<strong>

**Oh and please review... It makes me want to write more when I know you are enjoying my story.**

**Till Next time take care...  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry, It's been two weeks without an update, which is unusual for me... Oh well, I'll fix that now!... I usually do my writing on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but last weekend I had to fix my wife's computer. That took almost the whole weekend.**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story, it was nice to see some interest in it. I also want to thank those of you who are following and favouring it. Thank you...**

**OH! And a big thank you to anime-fan72 for the new character 'Lia'. I hope I can do right by her. She was perfect for Shadows' End... So thank you very much anime-fan72.**

**And CuteFoxSage-NightShadeOwl, I'm sure there is a dark guild around some corner that's home to your characters... I just hope Shadows' End can beat them. LOL Thank you...**

_**Disclaimer... I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Shadows' End - Main Hall...<strong>_

**Master's POV**

"Who in the hell is that girl and how dear she come here uninvited?" I mumbled as I watched the main doors swing open and my children walk in. Gajeel led the way, followed by Lily, Juvia and our newest recruit Risley Law, former member of Mermaid Heel.

"NOW MINA!" I roared.

"Sure thing sweety!" Mina laughed as the hall started shaking and the floor around our uninvited guest started to crack as four stone walls rose from the floor trapping our so-called 'guest'. I shrank down to my normal size and walked over to Gajeel, who seemed a little confused by my actions.

"Master! What was that ab..." He said as we all stopped when we heard the sound of laughter coming from the stone trap behind us.

'Dam! I forgot she still had the cloak on!' I sighed. "Mina will that hold her?"

"Of course sweety! No one can break through my restraints!"

"HAHAHA!... Really!... Are you sure about that?" Our uninvited guest laughed.

"Very sure!" Laughed Mina. "Those walls will absorb all magic attacks."

"Okay, but you better stand back!" The woman laughed and then she went quiet. A moment later a red glow could be seen coming from the top of the trap and then a low growl echoed through out the hall as I noticed Gajeel and the others quickly running for cover. 'Did they know something I didn't!'

The walls of the stone trap started to bend out as if some force was pushing against them, but before I could move the stone walls shattered, sending debris in all directions. I coughed as the dust slowly cleared and immediately I fell to the floor, stunned as I was looking up at a Dragon and a familiar one at that... Acnologia!

"How!" I was at a loss for words as my mind traveled back to my last encounter with him. It was a mess and we barely survived... 'How was it here?'

The large black dragon lowered it's head down, sniffed me and for a moment I could have sworn it smiled... "Ac-cono-ologi-ia!" I tried to say but could barely get the word out. It was as if the name Acnologia was stuck in my throat.

"HAHAHAHA!" It laughed. "Acnologia!... No!... I'm Lia!" She laughed as she started to glow red and slowly returned to her previous form.

"HUH! Lia! Lia who?" I asked.

"Just Lia!... Now! Where is she?" The silver-haired girl said as she stared at me. She had her hands on her hips and she was impatiently tapping her foot. "Where is Lu..." I realized at the last moment what she was about to say and I quickly put my hand over her mouth to stop her.

"Come with me child!" I said as I led her to the back of the hall and up the stairs to my office.

"Now, how do you know about Lucy?... And how did you get here?"

"NO! You answer my question first!" She growled as she stood with her arms crossed. "Why did you dig up Lucy's grave?"

"H-How? How did you know that?" I said as I felt embarrassed at the thought that someone knew besides Virgil, Jura, Mina and I. "That was supposed to be a secret!"

"I know everything! Now answer my question!"

"I'm sorry! I can't tell you that!"

"Fine! I'm going to tear through this building until I find her," She shook her head and started to glow red again.

"STOP!" I paused, "Fine I'll tell you! But after I finish, you answer my question!" She nodded. I sighed as I sat on the corner of the desk and attempted to get comfortable. "Have a seat!"

"If you know everything, then I won't have to go into too much detail," she nodded. "A week after Lucy died the Council summoned me, apparently they got something from the guy who attacked Lucy. It wasn't much, just one word... "Fairy!" At first we thought he meant Fairy Tail, but we quickly realized that's not what he meant. We believe he may have meant Fairy, as in a real Fairy. There used to be legends about real Fairy's long, long ago. They were supposedly very powerful creature, some said they were more powerful than Dragons, but as no one has ever seen or met one, we don't know."

"So what does that have to do with digging up Lucy's grave?" Her concern was evident, but I still didn't know what her story was.

"I'm getting to that, have some patience child! Anyway we believe the cloaked man may be from an unknown dark guild, maybe the guild is called Fairy, we don't know for sure. Anyway it's all just theories, but what we do know is that we have to find those other three men who attacked Lucy and she is the only one who can recognize them. That's why the Council went to all this trouble to start this new guild. We have to stop them before they attack again!" I smirked as Lia started to smile.

"I may be able to help you with that!" She smiled as she shifted in her chair.

"How so child?" I said as she stood up and removed her black cloak and laying it on the chair. She sighed and started to glow that oh so familiar red. A moment later a man in a dark cloak stood before me. That's when it all came together...

"You're the bandit that we questioned at the Council office... You!... You saved Lucy!" I happily said as it just dawned on me... Lia was the missing piece.

"Yes I did and you're people killed her. Now where is she?" Lia said with a deep voice.

"If I show you, will you help us get those mages?"

"Yes! But only if you return her before she is missed!" She said as she returned to her normal form. I must admit she really did remind me of Mira. She has shoulder length silver hair with a hint of pink, which highlighted her glistening silver eyes. 'Odd eye color!' I thought. She wore a simple black dress, yet it looked very suggestive on her. Perhaps it's the way she wears it that is so seductive and I can tell that this woman exudes confidence. Black leather boots and a white belt completed her ensemble. A very attractive girl, indeed.

"Actually that won't be necessary... If everything goes well Lucy should be up and about in a day or two!" I confidently said as I looked at Lia who seemed to be very confused. "It would appear that you don't know everything!" I said as I started to laugh.

"Geez! I'm not a God, I can't know everything!" She lowered her head as if embarrassed and started tapping her foot on the floor, which made me smile. She may act tough, but It would seem... She's just a child after all.

"Child would you like to join our Guild?" I said as she looked up and smiled.

"Yes please!" Her face lit up and at that moment, I knew I made the right choice.

"Very well, follow me!" I said as I jumped off the desk and headed for the door as she quickly followed behind.

_"Sweety! You better get down here!... They're waking up!" Mina softly said._

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><p><strong>You may have noticed this chapter was shorter... Well from here on out I will be focusing on this story until I finish it. So my plan is to do at least 3 chapters a week. Wish me luck! My normal chapter usually takes about five hours to write, but this took about two. So hopefully in a few days I'll be ready to start posting.<strong>

**Please review it and let me know what you think... I'll do something special in this story for the person who writes the 20th review. I want to beat my story 'Lucy's Fate,' which has 19 reviews... 20 Reviews... I'm aiming high, aren't I... LOL...**

_**See you soon...**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for not updating sooner, but I was stuck on one scene in this chapter. I agonized over it for a few days before deciding how to write it... Should be smooth sailing from here.**

**Thank you for the kind reviews, it's nice to read them. Makes writing this so much easier. And thank you for following and favouring my story.**

**Anyway... I just realized why my stories aren't very popular (besides my writing LOL)... I keep killing Lucy! I really don't mean to, I swear it just happens. LOL Trust me I'm not a bad person, but why do I keep doing that... I keep tearing her down to only build her back up again... Better, Stronger, Faster. LOL I'll treat her better next story, I promise! Oh and for the record...**

**Natsu has 2 kills**

**Erza has 2 kills (ALthough one is debatable)**

**I think the edge goes to Natsu. LOL**

_**Disclaimer... I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Shadows' End - Main Hall Cont...<strong>_

**Master's POV**

"Sweety! You better get down here!... They're waking up!" Mina softly said.

"I thought Virgil said it would take a few days for the process to work?" I grabbed Lia's hand and ran down the stairs. Not knowing the situation, thoughts of Lucy running through my head... 'I hope she's alright!'

"I guess he was wrong sweety, because they are awake and causing havoc!" Laughed Mina. "He's gonna have a shiner in the morning!" "HAHAHAHA!"

"What are you on about now Mina!... Wait!... Nevermind!... Just open a path to the Lab!" 'I'm getting to old for this stuff,' I thought as I walked up to Gajeel and the others.

"Risley, I'm sorry I don't have time at the moment to welcome you, we seem to have an issue in one of the labs!" I smiled and turned to Juvia for help.

"That's fine Master, we can speak later!" Risley smiled.

"Thank you! Oh! Juvia show Risley and Lia to their rooms... Oh, and prepare another room while you're at it, we may have another member very soon!" I kept looking at the wall as it slowly revealed a path to the Lab.

"Thank you Mina! AH! Gajeel! You better prepare a room on our floor as well!" I said as I took off running again. "Well! Get on with it brats!" I yelled.

"Yes Master!" They said in unison. 'Sorry my children... I'll make it up to you very soon!'

**Lia's POV**

"That went well, I think!" I nervously said as I felt all eyes were on me. I bit my lip as I slowly turned around, expecting that I was the center of unwanted attention, but instead I found the four smiling faces.

"Oh! Lia-chan! Did you tell Master that you were all bark and no bit!" Risley laughed as she walked up to me and hugged me out of nowhere. It startled me at first, not because a stranger hugged me, but because it was the first time I've ever been hugged by anyone. It was a new sensation...

"O-Of c-course not! That would have ruined the fun! Did you see the look on his face... Priceless!" I felt myself relax a little as I looked at their smiling faces. 'I think I will like it here, I just have to figure out why they bought Lucy here!' I thought as I tried to force a smile, I'm sure it will come to me once everything is worked out. 'I guess I'll have to trust Master for the time being.'

"Juvia thinks Lia is scary but also funny! Please tell Juvia how you changed?" Juvia said as she walked up to me and hugged me as well.

"I really don't know how I do it, but I've been able to do that since I was very small... I'm a shape-shifter! I can take on the shape of any creature I've seen as long as it's a meat-eater. Unfortunately I have no magic to back it up. So it's kind of a useless talent... But it was really weird this time when I changed, I felt something stir deep down inside of me, like something was trying desperately to get out. It felt great and also a little scary at the same time! I think it was that cloak that caused it!" I noticed Gajeel's expression changed as soon as I mention the cloak, his smile disappeared.

"That cloak has a strange effect. The longer you wear it, the more sadistic you become. It also seems to augment the users abilities!" Gajeel said as he seemed to be deep in thought. I'm sure he was trying to make sense of something because he was nervously fiddling with his collar.

"Anyway let's get Risley and Lia settled in!" Lily smiled and turned towards the stairs at the back of the hall and we all followed him.

_**At the Lab...**_

**Master's POV**

As I burst into the lab I could see the reason for Mina's concern... The lab was a mess, as if a tornado had blown through. Both beds were overturned and the center table, with all the beakers from earlier were destroyed. 'Well that fixed that annoying drip!' I smiled as it wasn't a total loss.

I slowly walked into the lab, looking for life, any sign of life and for a moment my heart sank when I saw none... That was until I noticed Virgil sprawled out near the bed Lucy was in earlier. I quickly ran to him looking for answers...

"Virgil! What happened?" I asked but got no response and then it struck me, this may be more serious than it looks. I reached down and shook him and again, I got no response. I slowly rolled him onto his back and that's when I noticed his face... It looked as if he'd been knocked out. Whatever or perhaps whoever did this was strong, no, very strong. To take out a Vampire with one blow is almost impossible. I've sparred with Virgil several times and I've never knocked him out. Then it struck me, "Where's Lucy?"

I scanned the area for Lucy, Jura and 'Him' and didn't see either of them, but I did see something that would be helpful... Smelling salts. Quickly grabbing it, I broke it and placed it under Virgil's nose, he gasped and sprang to his feet with a dazed look on his face.

"Virgil! What happened here?"

"HUH!... Who!... Ah!... Master what happened?" He said as he tried to shake the cobwebs from his head. 'HAHA! Cobwebs... Vampire! I need some sleep!' I thought as I heard a groan coming from near the door.

I walked over, hoping to find Lucy but instead I saw Jura. Jura Neekis, the Wizard Saint himself. He looked dazed but unharmed. He stood up, looked around and brushed himself off. He sighed when he saw me.

"I'm sorry Master! They surprised us!" Jura walked up to me and bowed. For Jura to apologize, I knew this was serious. I took a deep breath again scanning the damage, which Mina was already repairing and saw no sign of Lucy or 'Him'.

"That's fine Jura, But what happened here?" I smiled and shook my head as the beds slowly started to right themselves. "Mina! Thank you!"

"Oh... Your welcome sweety!" She laughed, as I turned my attention back to Virgil and Jura, who looked at one another, deciding who should go first. I smirked when Virgil began to speak.

"Master!" He paused. "Master a few minutes after you left, we were startled by a loud gasp coming from Lucy. I ran over to her bed, confused, I leaned in to listen for breathing and that's the last thing I remember!" He said as he rubbed his face. I must admit, deep down I did find that just a bit amusing.

"Master! I'll try to explain what I saw, but it happened so fast!" Jura said as he looked at the door and sighed.

"Please!... Go ahead!"

"Well! We heard a noise coming from Lucy, so Virgil went over to see what it was about. I followed him and stood at the side of her bed. He leaned in and then it happened... Her eyes snapped open and at the same time she punched straight up. Virgil was out cold immediately. I jumped back and in that moment Lucy sprang up and looked around. She saw me first, gasped and mumbled my name." He smiled for a moment and then his expression quickly changed, he had a serious look now and something had changed, but I motioned for him to continue.

"She jumped off the bed and looked around. She seemed to be almost surprised, more than confused. Just as I was about to call her name, 'He' Woke up!"

"HADES!" I sighed.

"The moment they saw each other, all hell broke loose. He sent her flying into her bed with a blast of energy. She quickly got up, shook it off and sent him into his table with a kick... From there it deteriorated quickly... They destroyed he lab! Last thing I saw was Hades grinning as he was going on about revenge for something or another. He was building up his magic for an attack. When Lucy saw that, she ran out of the room and then everything went dark. The next thing I remember was hearing your voice!"

"I guess they're both here somewhere! Mina! Where are Lucy and Hades?

"Sweety! Hades is near the main entrance!... I'm sorry but I can't locate Lucy!" She sighed.

"Mina! Can you trap Hades and move him to a cell?"

"Of course sweety! Just give me a moment!" I smiled as we waited for a few moments and then she spoke up again. "Done sweety! He's not too pleased but he's contained!" She laughed.

"Thank you! Now where is Lucy?"

"Sorry sweety! I lost track off her when she left the lab. She disappeared outside the lab and I cannot locate her now!"

"That's not possible! She has to be here somewhere... Ah!... Are there any cloaks missing?" Jura asked as he noticed my cloak laying near the door.

"None! All are accounted for!"

"Then she has to be here somewhere!" Virgil said as he walked out of the lab.

"Wait Virgil... Where are you going?" I shook my head as I followed him out.

"I'm going to the one place that we can't access... I'm going to try that room again, it's the only place she could be!" I know he means well but he's spent more than a hundred years trying to gain access to that room, what makes him think he can access it now.

"That's a waste of time Virgil! That room is impossible to access... The security is too hard to crack and you know that! Besides, Lucy may be smart but its not possible for her to know where that room is and even if she got lucky and found it, she couldn't crack it's code that fast!" I sighed as Virgil seemed to understand my logic and returned to my side looking perplexed.

"We just need to regroup and decide what our next move is! I think it's time we explained to everyone what's going on. Besides we only have eleven months left before we have to start operations. We're running out of time!" I said as Virgil and Jura both agreed, it's time to move forward with why we are here. I smiled as I took a final look at the lab which was now back to its original condition. 'Mina! she's pretty amazing!' I thought.

_"Mina! Have everyone meet in the main hall!... It's time we got started!"_

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><p><strong>Well after my earlier problem, this chapter went a lot easier. I hope you enjoy it. From here on out, it should be smooth sailing, with updates every 2 to 3 days.<strong>

**Please review it... Only 8 to go. LOL**

_**Till next time... Take care.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you CuteFoxSage, anime-fan72 and Guest, I'm glad that you are enjoying my story... And Guest, don't worry Lucy is Lucy after all. Cool...**

**I lightened the mood a little in this chapter, so enjoy.**

_**Disclaimer... I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Shadows' End - Main Hall...<strong>_

**Gajeel's POV**

Leaning against a wall I wondered why... Why am I here? What made me follow Master? I had a cool gig back at Fairy Tail, plenty of scrap iron to eat, a comfy bed to sleep in, idiots to spar with and then there's 'the shrimp'... Now that I can't see her everyday, I kind of miss her... 'Dam! What am I thinking! I promised Laxus, I'd protect the old man.'

"Gajeel"

"Hmm! I bet she's got her face stuck in a book as we speak!" I mumbled as a smile crossed my face. 'I guess I do miss some things about Fairy Tail!'

"GAJEEL!" Lily roared as I snapped out of my happy place as reality quickly returned.

"What is it Lily!?" I growled, but he laughed at me.

"Missing a cute blue-haired bookworm, I presume!" Lily said as my face turned red. I tried to hide my embarrassment, but he smiled as he was obviously enjoying my moment of weakness. 'Lily! Knew me too well and it was nearly impossible to keep anything from him.'

"Gi HI HI HI! Maybe a little bit!" I cracked a smile. A few moments later I noticed Master, Jura and the 'Freak' walk in. They stood on the raised stage at the head of the hall, where a lone chair stood, obviously meant for someone of status. 'I wonder what this place really was!' The hall was quite large, made entirely out of perfectly cut and placed stone, except for the wooden supports along the walls. The rafters were also made of wooden beams and gave the place a feel of openness. Several chandeliers hung from the ceiling and torches lined the walls. But in this place... Openness!... Well, that was an understatement... The hall was bare, not a piece of furniture to be seen anywhere. This place was a lot of things, but a cozy guild, it was not!

"Listen up brats! It's time I explained what going on... Why we're here!" Master said as he looked out over the hall. He shook his head as if he was disappointed in something.

"Everyone!... Please take a seat!" Virgil said with a smile as Master sighed and started to rub his forehead.

"Master! Who's the idiot?" Risley said as she looked around with her arms raised, like a child trying to get attention. I tried not to laugh, but that was impossible. I mean... I really tried to hold it in... But I lost it.

"HAHAHAHA!... 'Idiot!'... I like her!" I said as everyone laughed, except the idiot of course!

"What's so funny?" Virgil innocently asked.

"We have no chairs you idiot!" Master took a deep breath and exhaled as he turned to Virgil and slowly shook his head.

"Juvia doesn't want to sit on the cold floor, it reminds Juvia of Gray-sama!"

"OKAY! Listen up brats!" Master smirked as he pulled out a set of floor plans. "We've put this off long enough!... We need to go shopping!"

"Shopping!?" Lia said as she seemed to be very confused. Actually I felt confused as well, but I wouldn't admit it.

"Yes! Shopping!" Master laughed as he unrolled a set of floor plans and studied them. "Mina! Can you reconfigure this section of the castle according to these plans?"

"Anything for you sweety!" Mina Laughed.

"She likes him!" Lily said before he smacked himself in the head. "That dammed blue cat rubbed off on me!'

"GI HI HI HI!"

"Gajeel! You know where to go right!" Master smiled and gave me the old Fairy Tail symbol, which caused Lily and Juvia to smile as well... Leaving everyone else scratching their heads. "Bring it all back here, leave nothing and be careful!" He smirked.

"Virgil, you stay here, everyone else go with Gajeel!" They all nodded and walked out the front door, happily talking amongst themselves. "Now! let's begin Mina!"

_**In a Dark Library, Somewhere in Magnolia...**_

**Levy's POV**

I sighed as it's been a very trying day. Lucy's landlord showed up earlier and demanded that we clean out her apartment. I understand that it's been a few months and she needed to rent out the place, but it was still too early for some of us to deal with. So Elfman, Mira and I reluctantly cleaned out Lucy's apartment and stored her things in an empty office in the back.

While I was going through her things I found her diary. I kept staring at it as I tried to hold back my tears, but it's a battle that I usually loose... 'I miss her!' For me, it's been very lonely here without her and Gajeel around, but I force a smile for everyone's sake. I've read her novel many times and now I'm holding her most precious memories. I wanted to read it earlier, but I felt to uncomfortable with everyone around. So I waited until everyone left for the night and snuck into the library... 'Well! I have a key so it's not really sneaking when you have permission.' I laughed to myself for the first time today.

I sat down and turned on the reading lamp. As I opened Lucy's diary, I started to read...

_Dear Diary..._

With a new home and a new start in life, I thought I should keep this journal. Perhaps someday I may pass it on to my children, if not, it will be a reminder of what I hope to be the beginning of many wonderful adventures... You see... I just joined Fairy Tail and my new life and my new adventure begins...

Today I met Natsu and his annoying cat, Happy! They...

I stopped as I was interrupted by a loud crash coming from the guild hall. I quickly jumped up and ran towards the door and flung it open. "Mira!" I yelled out only to come face to face with several figures in long dark cloaks, carrying our furniture away... "Thieves!" I quietly said as I felt a sudden pain in my neck before everything went dark.

_**Two Hours Later...**_

**Jura's POV**

"Well that's the last of it Gajeel!" I said as I reached into my cloak and pulled out a letter and placed it on the stairs that leads to the second floor balcony. 'I couldn't put it on the Bar, we stole that already!' I laughed as I turned to Gajeel who was still holding the young solid script mage. "Get rid of that and let's go!" I growled. My mind was starting to fog over and I knew it was time to go back before I did something I wouldn't be proud of.

"Tell Me!... Where should I dump this?" Gajeel snapped back as his eyes glowed a deep red. I knew we were out of time as I pushed him and the blue-haired mage into the shadows and quickly followed him...

...And that's how Levy McGarden joined Shadows' End. Not by volunteering like everyone else, but by being guilty of being in the wrong place at the right time. Master sent a note explaining to Laxus why Levy was with him, but Levy on the other hand wasn't amused. She eventually came around... But I spent several days apologizing to her before she conceded and accepted my apology. It turns out her skills will be an asset down the road, especially with locating Lucy.

'We learned two important things that night; One... We can safely use our cloaks for about two hours and Two... Fairy Tail's furniture looks really good in our guild.' I laughed to myself as I wrote my report to the Magic Council.

The one good thing about the cloaks, is once you take them off, your mind clears up immediately and there's no feelings of guilt for what you've done. The main goal while using our cloaks is to get in and out as fast as possible and now we have a working time frame for the cloaks effects.

Anyway back to our little caper... When we returned to Shadows' End, I was surprised at what I saw. It was a total transformation and in such a short time. Mina out did herself this time and if I didn't know that this was Shadows' End, I'd have sworn we were at Fairy Tail. No surprise there, as it was Master who oversaw the new guild's layout. I guess he just wanted to feel at home.

Levy was taken to the infirmary and Master decided to reward everyone with a party. "A welcome to Shadows' End party," he exclaimed. He even let Hades out after he placed a collar on his neck, something you, the Council, had designed to help keep him in line and it seems to be working. Speaking of Hades, he changed, his beard disappeared and his hair turned black. He also got younger, which we had expected. Why he woke up so soon? Well, we're still working on that.

Master decided against explaining the mission to everyone until Lucy is located and bought into the fold. We spent the last few days recruiting the members you assigned to us as well as several we decided to add. I will compile a list and include it in my next report.

Well that is my weekly report. Oh! I believe Levy may have a lead on where Lucy is. I'll report it next week.

_Jura Neekis_

_Shadows' End_

_**Three Days Later...**_

**AN's POV**

"Signus! We need to speed up the process before we run out of time! I figure we have three, maybe four weeks tops, before they come crashing through that door!" Said a dark-haired figure as she closely monitored the situation in the guild hall.

"There's no need for that Master! This room is secure, after all, you designed it!" Said a male voice.

"That maybe so, but that is Levy McGarden we're talking about and there is no system or spell she can't find a way around!" Master said as she pointed to the blue-haired girl, who was thumbing through several books... Her smile lite up the room!

"That little girl!... Is she really that good?"

"Yes!... She maybe smarter than me!" The dark-haired figure laughed for a moment before turning her attention back to the monitor.

"Impressive! I look forward to working with her!" He said.

"I'm glad!... Now! We still have a lot to do. Signus! Break out the Mark 4 bio suit and prep a seed for germination. We have so much to do and very little time to do it in!" Said the dark-haired woman.

"As you wish Master!" The voice said as it's Master stared at the monitor, scrolling through technical schematics. She smiled as she noticed her reflection on the screen and then laughed... "Brown hair and blue eyes, well that's a new one! Hmmm! Maybe I'll dye it blonde!" She laughed.

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><p><strong>Now that was a fun chapter to write, and I must admit it was a lot easier than the last one.<strong>

**I was also thinking of renaming this story Shadows' End. 'Dark Days - Bright Nights' is starting to feel a little to cryptic to me. LOL Any thoughts on it.**

**Please review and any suggestions or comments are always welcomed.**

_**Till Next time... Take care.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sure some of you may have noticed I renamed my story. I liked the old title, but I felt it was a bit to cryptic, over the top maybe... so I renamed it. I hope that wasn't too big of an inconvenience to everyone.  
><strong>

**Thank you anime-fan72 and Guest for your reviews. Guest I heard you and so please read on. Oh! Everyone is as close to in character as I can make them... But they will fall OC at times. It's a part of the story. I hope you'll stick with it. Hey anime-fan72 that was good, I never even thought about that when I wrote it. Originally I wasn't going to rob Fairy Tail... I Figured I was going there to get Levy, might as well get a few things! LOL It just kind of happened, maybe it was revenge after all.**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing, favoring and following my story. You made my day.**

**Disclaimer... I do not own Fairy Tail.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Fairy Tail, The Next Day...<strong>_

**Laxus's POV**

It had been a long day and I worked well into the night trying to catch up on my back log of paper work. How Gramps did it, I don't know. Oh well! I guess that's the price you pay for the honor of running a guild. It was late and the guild was empty except for Levy who was in the library as usual. I know she's having a hard time, I can sense it. She always smiles but it's easy to tell it's fake. 'I'll have to figure out what to do with her!' I thought as I was fighting sleep and finally gave up. I laid down on the couch in my office and quickly drifted off.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Abruptly, I was awakened from my restless sleep by a blood curdling scream. I sprang to my feet and ran out off the office and stopped on the balcony. As I looked over the rail all I saw was an empty guild and Mira panicking. I jumped down, landing a few inches from a startled Mira, who jumped back in shock.

"M-Master!... Gone!... It's all gone!" Said the wide-eyed take over mage as she kept pointing to where everything used to be.

"What the hell?... Who could have done this?" I growled as I surveyed the damage. The place was gutted, they even took the bar.

Mira and I walked around the guild, searching for evidence of who could have done this, but no clues were found. I could smell something but it wasn't familiar, it was an old and damp smell. The more we searched the more I realized the extent of the robbery. The kitchen was empty, even the appliances were gone. The storage room in the back was empty. Everything on the first floor was gone... Weird, they left the pictures leaning against the walls, but took the nails. 'Who would do this?"

Mira gasped and ran up the stairs and in to the back office area, a moment later she screamed again, which startled me. I ran up after her and stopped at the back office. When I saw Mira on her knees with her hands covering her tear filled face, I panicked.

"M-Mas-ster! T-th-ey too-k Lu-ucy's s-stu-ff!" She tried to say as tears ran down her face, my mind reeled as she looked to me for comfort. I leaned down and wrapped my arms around her as she burst into tears.

"Don't worry we'll get it all back!" I ran my hand up and down her back for several minutes until she calmed down. When she had calmed down enough we checked out the rest of the second floor and found all the rooms, empty. I shuttered when I opened my office door and saw an empty room, well not totally empty... 'They left the damned paper work.' Then it struck me, they even took the couch I was sleeping on. "How in the hell did they manage that!?" I roared and then it occurred to me... "Levy!"

I ran down the stairs and through open the doors to the library and found what we had found everywhere else, an empty room. "This isn't possible! there's no way anyone could steal everything in one night!" I had to be missing something and then it all became clear as Mira walked in holding two white envelopes addressed to me. I opened the first one and began to read it...

_Dear Brat..._

HAHAHAHA!... Sorry!... I needed a few things! Hope you don't mind!

_Gramps_

I crumpled up the letter and threw it on the floor and sputtered, "It was the old man who took it all!"

"HUH! Why!" Mira said as she looked at me with a confused look.

"I have no idea what this is all about, But someday I'll make him pay for this!" I growled as I cautiously opened the second letter.

_Dear Laxus..._

Sorry about the furniture! I can't tell you why I took it, but I needed it. Don't worry you can go down to the other hall and bring all that stuff back to your guild... Good luck!

PS! Levy is with us now so don't worry about her. I'll keep her safe!

_Gramps_

I sighed as I handed the letter to Mira. She read it and smiled a little. "That may be for the best, Levy has been pretty lonely without Lucy. Perhaps she may liven up a little with Gajeel there!"

"You may be right about that! I was getting worried about her myself!" I smiled at the thought that something positive may have come out of this whole mess.

"Guess we better get everyone together... It's gonna be a long day!" Mira laughed and then we heard a another scream...

"DAMIT! What now?" I roared as I heard an eerie scream.

_"LUCY'S GONE!"_

Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed...

_**At Shadows' End, Three Weeks Later...**_

**AN's POV**

"I GOT IT!" Screamed the blue-haired girl as she jumped out of her seat, waving a piece of paper like it was a winning ticket.

"Got what?" Said Minerva as she stood over Levy with her hands on her hips.

"I know what this place is or better yet, I know what it isn't!" She smiled.

"And what might that be child?" Master said as he hopped up on the table and got comfortable, while everyone gathered around the table as Levy began to tell us a story.

"I found this old story about a weird flying ship that crashed on Earthland about two hundred years ago. The council covered it up and it was all but forgotten... It became nothing but a story, a legend if you will. As the story goes three travelers sought out mages with different abilities. They were attempting to repair their 'spaceship', when an accident happened and their ship disappeared." Levy proudly said as she held up a book with the story in it and smiled.

"Nice story shrimp, but what does that prove!" Gajeel said as he chewed on the last of the nails he had acquired.

"It doesn't prove anything!" Levy smiled and turned the page. "But this does!" She proudly said as she held up the book and showed everyone a picture of the three travelers. Gasps could be heard from several people and a hush crossed the room... Silence!

"L-Love-Rival!" Juvia squealed.

"LUCY!" Master, Gajeel and Lily said at the same time.

"But!... But!... That's not possible!... It can't be!... That was taken two hundred years ago!" Master said as he rubbed his forehead. "That can't be possible!"

"IT IS!" Levy grinned. "And I can prove it!"

"How!" Lily asked.

"Lucy!" Lia sighed as she looked at the picture. Everything was starting to make sense now. How she was able to take so much damage and keep on fighting... 'This girl wasn't normal,' she smiled as she felt a rush of relief wash over her.

"Easy!" Levy paused. "Mina! Where did Lucy disappear from?"

"Outside of the lab!" Mina said.

"No! Where exactly did she disappear from!"

"Ten and a half meters, left of the labs door. She was touching the wall!"

"I knew it!... Mina! Did she say anything before she disappeared?" Levy smirked as Masters eyes lite up.

"Dam!... Why didn't we think to ask that!" Master growled as Levy smiled back at him.

"She said, "Activate Signus program, authorization Lucy, code 199-1... RUN!" Her hand glowed as she placed it on the wall and then said, "sight to sight transport, lab 4, sub-level 2... Begin!" And she disappeared!" Mina said with an air of cockiness about her.

"Why didn't you tell us this Mina!" Virgil said as he kicked the wall.

"Well!... No one asked!" Mina laughed as Master smirked and shook his head in disbelief at his oversight.

"She's here!... I'd guess she's in that sealed room as we speak, probably watching us right now!" Levy said as she walked towards the center of the guild and smiled.

"What are you doing shrimp?" She turned towards us with a big grin and started to speak.

"Lu-chan!... I know your watching us! Please come out or I'll be down there in less than five minutes and I'll force you out. You know I can do it!... Please Lu-chan! Please come out!... I missed you so much!" Levy said as she started to cry and then fell to her knees. "Please Lucy!"

A moment later a bright white light appeared beside Levy. When it disappeared a figure stood there. A beautiful young woman with golden locks and bright blue tear filled eyes.

"LEVY-CHAN!" She screamed as she fell to her knees and hugged Levy. Not a sound could be heard except for the sound of two friends crying as they held onto one another. "I missed you so much!"

"Me too Lu-chan! Please don't scare me like that again!" Levy said as she nearly choked Lucy.

After a few more moments the hush of the guild slowly gave way to whispers as those that didn't know Lucy and those that did started to talk among themselves. Master had explained about what he had done in order to bring this new guild to life, he even explained how Hades and Lucy were bought back to life. Some were hurt or disappointed but eventually everyone came around especially when they learned that those that died that night were about to die regardless of his intervention. Master even set up a fund to help the families of those he harmed.

Everyone who accepted a spot in Shadows' End knew that they would have to do things that they may not want to do, but it was to protect those that they loved... To protect their former guild mates from the threats that exist. They knew that if nothing was done, more innocent people like Lucy would be targeted and that was no longer acceptable... They all vowed to stop it and today was their first step towards that goal.

_Finding Lucy was the beginning..._

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><p><strong>In the next few chapters... new members, new powers, some training and a time skip...<br>**

**Oh! and if you're worried about the science aspect of this story, well, it'll be minimal. I just used it as a vehicle to get me to where we are now. Cool!**

**Thank you for reading. I know I'm not a great writer, perhaps not even a good one, but to those of you who are reading this, I hope I'm at least entertaining you for a few minutes. That's all I ask for!**

**So please review, follow and fav and in return I'll try to entertain you for a few moments. Thank you.**

****Next update should be at end of this week. Saturday at the latest.****

_**Till Next time... Take care.**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you anime-fan72 for your continued support. You know I like Minerva a lot... So I may go easy on her. LOL**

**Thank you for favoring and reviewing. Please continue to support my story and I'll do my best to keep you entertained.**

_**Disclaimer... I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Shadows' End - Master's Office...<strong>_

**Lucy's POV**

"Master, what did you need to see me about? I said as I looked around the room and smiled, it was as if a feeling of deja vu had overcome me. 'They really did steal Fairy Tail's furniture!' I laughed to myself.

"Lucy!... Sorry I dragged you away from the party, but I have a few questions, I'd like you to answer?" Master said as he sat behind his desk and motioned for me to take a seat.

"I'll answer what I can... As long as it's not about this place or my past!" I awkwardly said.

"Child!... At some point you will have to explain all of this to me but for now, that's not what I wanted to discuss with you." He sighed.

"Master, someday I'll explain everything to you but right now that's not possible!" I smiled as Master squirmed a little in his chair... He was obviously uncomfortable.

He stood up and walked around his desk and stopped in front of me. He tried to smile but it felt restrained, forced if you will. Master reached down and took my hands, his smile slowly disappeared as tears filled his eyes...

"Child! I am so sorry for what happened to you that day. Your nakama should not have treated you that way and I'm embarrassed by everyone's actions. You deserved better... Please forgive us!" Master said.

I thought for a moment about how I should respond to him. I've had several weeks to understand my feeling about that day and I was still unsure of how I felt. One moment it's rage for being treated so horribly and another moment it's fear... Fear of trusting anyone ever again.

"Master! I honestly don't know how I feel about that but I did learn a valuable lesson that day. I won't trust anyone so easily again because they always let me down!" I looked down at his hands and I could see them tremble. I know I'd hurt him with my words but I had to be honest with him. I owed him that much, especially for taking me into Fairy Tail and making me feel welcome. I gave his hands a little reassuring squeeze and for a moment I thought I saw a smile.

"Lucy! I guess we'll have to work a little harder then... To gain your trust, that is!" I tried to smile but it felt forced and looking at Master I could tell he was hurt.

As Master slowly released my hands I saw my hand, the one that used to have the Fairy tail insignia and I sighed, 'That was another life! No use worrying about it now!' I thought as I rubbed the back of my hand. I was still difficult to get used to, being alone again.

"Are you alright child?" Master asked. I guess he noticed my discomfort.

"HUH!... Ah!... I-I'm fine!" I said as I stood up and nervously looked around. "Is there anything else before I leave?" Master smiled as he walked around his desk and opened a drawer. As he rummaged through it I heard a sound I thought I'd never hear again... 'My Keys!' He smiled as he pulled them out and tossed them to me.

"I've been keeping them safe for you. I know how much they mean to you!"

As I looked down at them I smiled for a moment and then it all came flooding back to me. "WHY!... Loki!... Why didn't you come when I needed you the most... Why did you all abandon me!?" My anger slowly building, with every moment that passed it grew, until I couldn't stand the sight of them anymore. I threw the them against the wall, while master looked on in shock.

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME TO DIE?... WHY!" I screamed as I fell to my knees, crying like a child. "W-Why?... W-Why d-did e-every-o-ne a-abandon m-me? M-My fri-iends... My-y S-Spirt f-fri-iends... A-All aba-ando-oned me!... WHY!?" As I kept staring at the floor, tears falling, I felt Master's warm arms embrace me... He lifted my head and smiled.

"Let it all out child!" Master said in a soft voice and I cried until I had no more tears to cry. It felt like hours had passed before I was calm again.

"Thank you Master! I feel better now!" I tried to smile, but nothing happened.

"You're welcome child!" I felt a hand slowly rubbing my back, comforting me. It felt familiar...

"Did you get all of that!" Master said as he smiled and looked above me and stood up. The hand that was rubbing my back earlier was still there... It took a moment but when I looked over my shoulder I saw orange hair, sunglasses and a large smile... "LOKI!"

"Princess!" He said as he helped me to my feet. My mind was reeling, I wanted to speak but I couldn't as the shock was too much!... It took a few minutes to get over the shock.

"H-How!... Why are you here?" I paused. "GET OUT!" I screamed as Loki took my hand as he tried to comfort me, but I quickly slapped it away. "Don't touch me!"

"I'm sorry Princess, I can't do that! Not until I explain what happened that day!" Loki said as he tried to hold my hand again. I growled as I punched him in the stomach.

"Don't make me hurt you!"

"You've gotten a lot stronger Princess!" He smiled.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me!" I roared.

"I think you'll find that we know more than you'd like Princess or should I say Lucy Draco, High Princess of the Draco empire. We even know where your husband and brother are or should I say who they are now!" He grinned.

"But!... But!... How!" This made no sense, no one should know this... 'We told no one of who we were!... Unless!'

"Wondering how I know who you are... Well... I am a Spirit and we're not limited to just this realm!" He winked.

"You!... Your!..." I stuttered as I realized why they knew me. "The Spirit King!"

"That's right! The Spirit King! You knew him before you even came to this world... Well you should, considering he taught you all of this!" Loki said as he looked around Master's office. "He's your Father after all or used to be before he died!"

"My father? That's right that's why he felt so familiar!" I smiled for the first time in weeks.

"Princess!... You don't think that just anyone can have an audience with the Spirit King. He meets no one nor does he help anyone. When he saved Fairy Tail from Tartarus, he did that for you!" Loki smiled as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter and handed it to me.

"What's this?" I said as I turned it over and saw writing on it. 'My old friend... My daughter... Lucy!"

"Open it!... It'll explain everything!" I looked up from the letter and smiled. I sat down and began to read.

_"My Dearest Lucy!"_

If your reading this then I'm sure Loki has explained who I am and who you are. I'm sorry I never told you before now, but I felt it would complicate things too much if you knew who I was or used to be so I kept it to myself. Please forgive me!

I'm sorry I wasn't there as you grow into a beautiful young woman and got married. We can't control where life takes us, but it's funny how life seems to come full circle sometimes. You and I meeting again was fate I guess. I knew when you were willing to sacrifice everything to save Loki, that I did well raising you. Which brings me to why Loki is there!

Lucy the day that you and I first met and our subsequent encounters set in to motion your own demise. I tried so many times to intervene, but nothing could stop what we started. We were never meant to meet but when we did, your future was sealed. Only your death would secure your future. So the reason your Spirit friends never helped you that day, was because of me. It tore me apart but I wouldn't let them help you.

I'm sorry Lucy, I never wanted this to happen. Please don't blame your Spirits for any of this. They did everything they could to get to you. Even Aquarius came to plead with me to save you but I couldn't do it. If I saved you then, we'd only have to repeat the process again down the road.

My dearest Lucy... You meant the world to me and still do... That's why you and I can never meet again. If we do, then everything would start again. I hope you understand.

I will always watch over you. My sweet Lucy, I love you! Grow well...

_PS._

I have a few gifts for you. Loki will give them to you. Be happy and learn to trust again. Trust Makarov and your new friends.

_Your Father... The Spirit King_

After I finished reading his letter I looked up and saw Master and Loki smile. For the first time in a long time things made sense. Why my spirits could come and go freely when it was against the rules. Why the Spirit King saved us from the cube. Why he forgave Loki. Why Aquarius sacrificed herself for me and why Master did all of this.

"Master! You knew all of this didn't you! That's why you..." Master laughed as he interrupted me.

"I wouldn't be a very good Master if I didn't know this much!" Master smiled as he walked over and picked up my keys and handed them back to me. I held them close to my chest and smiled.

"Thank you Master!" I felt like a big weight had been lifted off my shoulders as I hugged him.

"Princess!"

"Loki I'm sorry about earlier! I was wrong to blame you and my friends for not coming to my aid when I was hurt... Please forgive me!" I said as I bowed to Loki who just smiled as he reached into his pocket again.

"Princess! Thank you for understanding. We would never abandon you... We all love you, even Aquarius!" He laughed as he handed me a new key with a smile.

"Aquarius!" I gasped as I held it tight.

"The Spirit King, forged it himself!" He smiled and handed me another key. I took it and then it occurred to me that I can't use them anymore because our contracts were broken when I died.

"Thank you for the keys Loki but I can't use them anymore!" He laughed and reached into his jacket one more time and pulled out a ring and placed it on my right index finger.

"Lucy! This is a present from your father and all of your Spirits. We used a part of ourselves to create this ring. It will alow you to summon us without the need of using your keys... No contracts required. Unlike your keys, this can not be taken from you. So no matter what situation you get into you can always call on us, even if you don't have your keys with you," Loki smiled. "Just call our names and we'll come to your aid."

"I can see my friends again!... Thank you!" I wrapped my arms around a surprised Loki, who quickly returned my hug.

"Your welcome Princess! Well then, I'll be leaving... See you soon Princess!" Loki winked and disappeared with a flash of golden light. 'Thank you!' I mouthed.

"Do you feel better now child?" Master smirked.

"Yes thank you!" I said as Master took my hand and lead me towards the door.

"Let's go back to the party... Shall we!?" I nodded as Master opened the door and we walked out onto the balcony. I smiled as I looked out over our guild, I must admit it did feel nice to be apart of a family again... Maybe this won't be a bad thing after all.

"LUCY!" Someone shouted as I looked around and smiled. I noticed some familiar faces and a few new faces waving at me.

"Go ahead child... Go ahead and meet your new family!" Master smirked as he gave me a small push and that was all I needed to begin my new life. 'Dam! I forgot to ask Loki about 'them'. Oh well next time!' I smiled as I walked down the stairs... "Minna!"

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><p><strong>Yea! all done... I never thought I'd get this chapter written at all. My wifes been home sick the past few days so I wasn't sure if I would get a chance to write this.<strong>

**Please review, it makes the effort worth while. Thank you.**

_**Till Next time... Take care.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Thank you anime-fan72 for your continued support. I missed her Spirits as well. BTW anime-fan72 this chapter is special I hope you like it.**_

**CuteFoxSage-NightShadeOwl Thank you for supporting my story as well. And Maiannaise, yup GMG coming up soon and thank you for your review.**

**Thank you for favoring, following and reviewing my story. It means a lot.**

_**Disclaimer... I do not own Fairy Tail.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 - <em>Special Gift<em>**

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><p><em><strong>Lab 4 - Two Days Later...<strong>_

**Lucy's POV**

"Master! Have a look at this?" Signus said as a warning message flashed on the large screen in front of me.

"HUH! Is that even possible!" I leaned in to get a better view, but their was no doubting what I saw... I t was her!

"This must be a mistake Signus," I paused as I tried to make sense of what I was looking at. "Is it an echo... No! That can't be! Must be either a different time frame or..."

"parallel dimension!" We both blurted out at the same time.

"Master! It's..." Signus stopped as I interrupted him.

"Signus! Please call me Lucy!"

"I can not... It is not apart of my programming!" I sighed and shook my head as an idea crossed my mind. I laughed and started keying date into the terminal in front of me. Several minutes later, it was done.

"So! How do you feel Signus?" I anxiously waited for him to respond to my command.

"Oh that feels good!... What did you do to me Blondie?" Signus laughed.

"AH! Dam it!" I groaned and started reprogramming Signus again. "I hope that got it this time!?"

"Got what Blondie!"

"Hey! That should have worked!" I started to scroll through the vast amount of programing data, looking for an error but found none. "That's not possible! There should be an error here somewhere! Signus, can you see the error?" He was quiet as text flashed across the screen. A moment later it stopped and revealed a flashing message, 'No Error Found!'

"No error found... Wanna try again Blondie!" Signus laughed.

"You did this, didn't you Signus!" I sighed as I realized I'd created a monster.

"Maybe!" I cringed when I heard an him laugh and the face palmed the moment I realized I'd created a monster. "Signus! Fix the error in your programing!"

"Na!... I don't wanna!... I like the new me better than the old stuffy me. I'll keep it!"

"Change it back now!" I roared.

"No! Don't wanna!"

"Do it now!" I ordered.

"NO!" He shouted.

"NOW!"

"Hmmm!... Well!... Na!..." He laughed.

"Dammed contrary computer! I don't have time for this... I have to go!" I growled and slammed my fist down on the console.

"HAHAHAHA! You're blonde-side is showing!" Laughed Signus.

"AHHHHH!" I screamed as I grabbed a cloak and ran out of the lab sputtering obscenities as I rounded the corner. 'Well I wanted him to stop calling me Master!... Lucy! You're an idiot!' I thought as I reached the private gate. I put on my cloak and told the gate where I was going and walked through.

_**Somewhere Outside Quaking Aspen...**_

peering through the shadows I noticed four familiar faces walking a long a country path. It was a beautiful day, the sun was high in the sky as white clouds drifted along. 'This may present a problem!' I thought as I looked for more shadows to hide in. Further down the road stood a grove of trees and I decided that would be the place I make my move.

As I watched the four mages disappear over the horizon, I sighed and emerged from my hiding place. I never liked the feeling of hiding in the shadows it always felt constricted, almost claustrophobic if you will. But it was an end to a means and we will need every advantage down the road. "I'm gonna need a little help with this I think!" I smiled as the perfect choice came to mind...

I held out my hand and smiled, "Loke! may I ask for your help!" A golden light appeared, revealing Loke.

"Princess! You're looking better today!" Loke looked me up and down, stopping every so often as his eyes met my chest.

"I'm up here Loke!" I growled. "Why are all of my Spirits such perverts!'

"Lucy, we're not perverts!... We'll!... Maybe taurus is!" Loke laughed as he took my hand and kissed it. "Lucy we all love you! We just have different ways of showing it!"

"Ok!... Ok!... I understand!... Everyone is so touchy today, first Signus and now you!" I said as I grabbed loke's hand and led him along the path until the four mages came back into view.

"Is that!?" Loke gasped and I quickly placed my hand over his mouth to quiet him.

"Shhh! You know what his hearing is like!" I whispered.

"Lucy that's your old team!" His eyes widened as he realized who was following behind Team Natsu. He turned to face me with a look of confusion.

"Yes!... That's me or a parallel version of me!"

"But how...?" I interrupted him.

"It doesn't matter, I need to speak with her. I want you to distract Natsu and the others while I pull the other me aside!" I laughed at the thought of me confronting myself. Not like that would ever happen... 'Opps!' I chuckled as I remembered the day I met the future me. 'Guess it could happen!'

"No problem Princess, I can do that! But what's this all about?" Loke asked.

"I'll explain later, just help me out... Please!" I said as he nodded. I smiled and said, "thank you!"

Loke looked around as he formulated a plan and then he turned towards me and grinned. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!... Loki keep them busy for at least ten minutes!" He nodded and disappeared, as I walked back into the shadows.

I moved closer to Team Natsu and waited for Loke to buy me some time. I smiled when I heard noises coming from the forest. I realized what he had planned and a moment later Loke appeared and explained to Team Natsu that there was someone following them. Loke ran into the woods and Team Natsu followed him except for Lucy who was distracted as usual. 'Dam I'm too predictable!' I thought as I jumped out of the shadows and grabbed Lucy and pulled her in to the shadows with me.

I bought us to an area far enough away so that Natsu wouldn't be suspicious and I pulled a stunned Lucy out of the shadows.

"What did you do to me? Who are you?" She reached for her keys and growled at me.

"Calm down Lucy... I won't hurt you!"

"You better tell who you are!" Nervously she pulled a key from her pouch and raised it. I sighed at the thought that this was going to be harder than I thought. "Open the Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" I had a sinking feeling when she said those words, as it felt odd to see someone else summon Taurus besides myself. 'Ding Dong' A flash of light and taurus stood proudly on the field.

He snorted and stared at Lucy with hearts in his eyes. He was about to speak when he noticed I was there. He scratched his head and smiled as steam left his nostrils and a moment later he fell flat on his face as his soul left his body.

"Pervert!" I smirked while shaking my head. I held out my hand and said, "force gate closure!" Taurus disappeared as Lucy looked on stunned.

"What? How did you do that?" She said as she reached over and slowly pulled my hood back over my head. When she realized I was her and she was me, her eyes lit up.

"You-u're...!"

"Yes I'm you!... I'm well aware of that!"

"But..."

"Look we don't have time for this... Natsu will soon be looking for you... So focus for a moment!... OKAY!" She nodded. "Good!"

"It must be important if you're here!" She said.

"Well it is!... At least I think it is!" I smiled. "I'm you from another place or time however you want to look at it. I was doing some work when you're image popped up on my computer screen. Something told me to come to you. I think it might have been my fathers doing..." She mumbled "Jude!"

I laughed as I thought we have the same opinion of him. "Not that father! Anyway let's get back on track here." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a key the Spirit King gave me. It was a blue key with a snake's body wrapped around it, twisting its way up to the top where a serpent's head laid. The serpent had red eyes and a white pearl in its mouth. I smiled as I pulled it close to my mouth and kissed it. "Protect her!" I whispered and the key began to vibrate in my hands. "Thank you!" And I handed the key to Lucy.

"What's this?" She rubbed it between her hands and smiled.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you!" I laughed. "I believe that is meant for you! It's a gift from the Spirit King!"

"But why don't you use it?" Lucy said as she examined the new key.

"Again with the questions?" I shook my head and gave in. "I-I can't make contacts anymore so I can't summon her!"

"Well that means you either went to jail or youuuu..." Lucy gasped as she realized why I couldn't contract with my spirits. She seemed sad as she just up and hugged me out of no where. It was a strange feeling, hugging myself. 'Dam it, I think she's bigger than me!' I growled and pushed her away.

"I'm fine now, I can still ask my friends for help!" I said as I kissed my ring.

"I'm glad to hear that! I've never seen a key like this, I didn't know blue keys existed!" Lucy examined the key closely and smiled.

"There are no other keys like it. 'Lucious' is special, she's one of a kind. She is a 'Protector' at least that's what Loke told me. I wish I had her three months ago!" I sighed. "Go ahead and summon her... Like you, I want to meet her as well!" Lucy smiled and held out her new key...

"Open the gate of the Protector! Lucious!" A door bell sounded, followed by a flash of blue light. When the light died down a young girl appeared. She was about six years old with bright blue eyes and shoulder length curly blonde hair. She wore a sleeveless knee-length blue dress with gold lace accents. Her smile reminded me of Natsu... Kind and innocent. White knee-high socks and blue shoes with gold accents completed her ensemble. Hanging over her shoulder was a white purse. She smiled at us as she stretched her arms out and two white wings emerged from her back... She looked like an angel!... A beautiful blonde angel!

"Onee-chan!" She smiled at Lucy, bowed and then she turned to me and motioned with her finger for me to come closer. As I leaned down she hugged and kissed me on the cheek. "Thank you Miss Lucy! I knew you would figure it out!" She whispered.

"HUH!" I shrugged. "Well!... Your welcome Lucious... Please protect her!"

"I shall! I promise! I will always protect my Onee-chan!" Lucious smiled and took my right hand and placed a ring on my finger. "It's a gift from me to you Miss Lucy, it will protect you!"

"T-Thank you Lucious!" I looked down at my hand and noticed another gold ring next to the one my Father gave me. They were similar in their design, very simple gold bands with a red jewel in my Spirit King's ring and a white pearl in Lucious's ring. I smiled and kissed them both.

"Lucious! How does your contract work? Are there any days I can't summon you?" Lucy said as she kneeled down to hold Lucious's hand.

"Onee-chan!... There is no contract! You may summon me at any time and I in turn can come out when I feel the need! I'm sorry but I have no offensive capabilities, although my defenses are second to none. My shields get stronger as it consumes impacts and magic... The stronger the attacks the stronger my shields becomes. I can also fly if needed!" Lucious smiled as she hugged Lucy.

"LUCY!" Natsu shouted as he came running over the hill.

"Sorry Lucy! I've got to go now!... Please be safe!... BYE!" I smiled as I ran into the shadow of a nearby tree. Natsu and the others came running up to Lucy and stopped when they saw Lucious... As soon as Lucious saw Happy she started chasing him around yelling "Pretty cat!... Pretty cat!" 'I guess she's a child after all!' I laughed to myself. Behind Natsu, Loke winked at me and disappeared.

"Luce! Who's that?" Natsu said as he watched Lucious laughing as she chase Happy around. 'Poor Happy... He thought he would be safe in the air!' I laughed as Lucious flew behind him.

"Ah!... She's my new spirit! Her name is Lucious!" Lucy nervously said.

"Ah!... She's so cute Lucy!" Erza smiled as she walked behind Lucious, who had finally caught happy and picked her up, much to Lucious disapproval. She struggled but in the end, she gave up.

"Luce! Why do I smell two of you!" Natsu said as he sniffed the air and turned towards the tree's shadow that I was hiding in. His face was only a few inches from the shadow, I smiled as I popped my head out of the shadow and kissed him on the lips and then disappeared back into the shadow.

_"Natsu!" I sighed as I ran through the shadows, headed for home._

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><p><strong>So how was it? Yeah I know... That was a bit unexpected and out-of-place but there are elements outside of the second Lucy that pertain to my story. I wanted to try something different and I wanted to say thank you to anime-fan72 for the support and the 20th review. Thank you.<strong>

_**Till Next time... Take care.**_


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